Tailoring communication from interactive speech enabled and multimodal services

Abstract

Methods, computer program products, and systems that tailor communication of an interactive speech and multimodal services system are provided. An automated application provides intelligence that customizes speech and/or multimodal services for a user. A method involves utilizing designated communication characteristics to interact with a user of the interactive speech and/or multimodal services system. The interaction may take place via a synthesis device and/or a visual interface. Designated communication characteristics may include a tempo, a dialect, an animation, content and an accent of prompts, filler, and/or information provided by the speech and multimodal system. The method further involves monitoring communication characteristics of the user, altering the designated communication characteristics to match and/or accommodate the communication characteristics of the user, and providing information to the user utilizing the altered characteristics of the communication.

1 . A method for tailoring communication from an interactive speech and multimodal services system, the method comprising: 
 utilizing characteristics of the communication to interact with a user of the interactive speech and multimodal services system;    monitoring communication characteristics of the user;    altering the characteristics of the communication to at least one of match and accommodate the communication characteristics of the user; and    delivering the communication utilizing the altered characteristics.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein monitoring the communication characteristics of the user comprises monitoring at least one of a tempo, an intonation, an intonation pattern, a dialect, and an accent of a voice of the user; 
 wherein altering the characteristics of the communication comprises gradually altering at least one of a tempo, an intonation, an intonation pattern, a dialect, an accent, and content of at least one of prompts, filler, and information from the interactive speech and multimodal services system to at least one of match and accommodate at least one of the tempo, the intonation, the intonation pattern, the dialect, and the accent of the voice of the user; and    wherein delivering the communication utilizing the altered characteristics comprises providing information to the user utilizing at least one of the altered tempo, the altered intonation, the altered intonation pattern, the altered dialect, the altered accent, and the altered content of at least one of the prompts, the filler, and the information.    
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 assessing an effectiveness of altering the characteristics of the communication; and    storing in association with a profile of the user, the characteristics altered that are assessed to match the communication characteristics of the user.    
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein assessing the effectiveness of altering the characteristics comprises: 
 at least one of confirming and recognizing communication from the user;    determining at least one of whether a percentage of recognizing communication from the user has increased and whether a percentage of confirming communication has decreased and whether a percentage of re-prompt communications has decreased; and    when at least one of the percentage of recognizing the communication of the user has increased, the percentage of confirming communications to the user has decreased, and the percentage of re-prompting communications to the user has decreased, assessing that altering the characteristics is effective whereby when altering the characteristics is effective, the user is able to interact with the speech and multimodal services system in a more natural manner than initial interactions.    
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 determining whether the user is placed on hold; and    in response to the user being placed on hold, at least one of playing a filler that confirms to the user a connection still exist, displaying a visual, triggering at least one of motion and sound in a communication device of the user, offering activity options to the user, monitoring the user for at least one of out of context words, visual actions, and emotion, and gathering information from the user.    
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein playing the filler comprises at least one of the following: 
 playing a coffee percolating sound;    playing a human humming sound;    playing a keyboard typing sound;    playing at least one of singing and music;    playing a promotional message; and    playing one or more sounds that simulate human activity;    wherein displaying a visual comprises at least one of displaying emails and displaying out graphs;    wherein triggering motion in the communication device comprises sending a signal causing the communication device to vibrate; and    wherein gathering information comprises prompting the user for at least one of security information and survey information.    
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising: 
 detecting at least one of an ambient noise in an environment of the user, a profile of the user, an identification number of the user, and a location of the user;    adapting at least one of the prompts, the filler, and the information from the interactive speech and multimodal services system based on at least one of the following:    the ambient noise detected in the environment of the user;    the profile of the user;    the identification number of the user; and    the location of the user.    
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein monitoring the communication characteristics of the user comprises detecting and recognizing an animation of the user via a motion detection device and wherein altering the characteristics comprises at least one of adapting an avatar to match the animation of the user and responding to the animation recognized by transferring the user for human assistance.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 receiving a request for content from the user;    retrieving content associated with the request;    adapting a speed of delivering the content associated with the request to the user based on at least one of the following: 
 receiving an unsolicited command associated with the speed from the user;  
 receiving a solicited confirmation from the user associated with the speed;  
 receiving an unsolicited command from the user associated with the speed as related to a service ‘help’ instruction; and  
 detecting a preset speed designated by the user.  
   
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein receiving an unsolicited command comprises receiving instructions associated with a global navigational grammar.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein offering activity options to the user comprises at least one of the following: 
 offering a joke of the day;    offering at least one of news, music, sports, and weather;    offering trivia questions;    offering a movie clip;    offering interactive games; and    offering a virtual avatar for modifications.    
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein adapting at least one of the prompts, the filler, and the information from the interactive speech and multimodal services system based on the ambient noise detected in the environment of the user comprises at least one of the following: 
 adjusting an output volume of at least one of the prompts, the filler, and the information to accommodate the ambient noise detected;    when the ambient noise includes a crying child, adapting the prompts to empathize concerning the crying child;    when the ambient noise includes a sports game, adapting the prompts to inquire concerning the sports game and offer related information on the sports game; and    when the ambient noise includes sounds associated with at least one of a party and a bar, adapting the prompts to assess a number of alcoholic drinks consumed, further comprising: 
 assessing the number of alcoholic drinks consumed wherein monitoring the communication characteristics of the user includes:  
 detecting a degree of slurred speech; and  
 detecting a degree of stress in the voice of the user; and  
 determining whether the degree of slurred speech is associated with one of sobriety and inebriation.  
   
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising: 
 in response to detecting at least one of the out of context words, the visual actions, and the emotion, responding to the user utilizing filler that demonstrates out of context concern; and    transferring the user for immediate assistance.    
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising combining ambient audio with at least one of the tempo of, the dialect of, and the accent of at least one of the prompts, the filler, and the content gradually altered wherein the ambient audio reflects at least one of a perceived preference and a specific choice of the user.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein utilizing the designated communication characteristics comprises utilizing the designated communication characteristics via a synthesis device and a visual interface to interact with the user of the interactive speech and multimodal services system and wherein at least one of the prompts, the filler, and the content gradually altered includes visual content, the method further comprising at least one of offering the visual content as a choice to the user and delivering the visual content in response to a request of the user.  
   
   
       16 . A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having control logic stored therein for causing a computer to tailor communication of an interactive speech and a multimodal services system, the control logic comprising computer readable program means for causing the computer to: 
 utilize characteristics of the communication via a synthesis device to interact with a user of the interactive speech and the multimodal services system;    monitor communication characteristics of the user;    alter the characteristics of the communication to match the communication characteristics of the user; and    deliver information to the user utilizing the altered characteristics of the communication.    
   
   
       17 . The computer program product of  claim 16 , further comprising computer readable program means for causing the computer to: 
 at least one of confirm and recognize communication from the user;    determine at least one of whether a percentage of recognizing communication of the user has increased, whether a percentage of confirming communication has decreased, and whether a percentage of re-prompt communications has decreased; and    when at least one of the percentage of recognizing the communication of the user has increased, the percentage of confirming communication of the user has decreased, and the percentage of re-prompt communications has decreased, assess that altering the characteristics of the communication is effective whereby when altering the characteristics of the communication is effective, the user is able to interact with the speech and multimodal services system in a more natural manner than initial interactions.    
   
   
       18 . The computer program product of  claim 16 , further comprising computer readable program means for causing the computer to: 
 detect and recognize an animation of the user via a motion detection device; and    adapt an avatar of the multimodal services to at least one of match and respond to the animation of the user.    
   
   
       19 . An interactive speech and multimodal services system capable of tailoring communication with at least one user, the system comprising: 
 a voice services node that utilizes at least one of a tempo an intonation, an intonation pattern, a dialect, an accent, and content of the communication to interact with the user of the interactive speech and multimodal services system;    a multimodal engine that interacts with the voice service node and integrates appropriate multimodal content for the communication to interact with the user of the interactive speech and multimodal services system; and    an application server that provides the communication to the voice services node and multimodal engine, monitors at least one of a tempo, an intonation, an intonation pattern, a dialect, and an accent of a voice of the user, and alters at least one of the tempo, the intonation, the intonation pattern, the dialect, the accent, and the content of the communication to at least one of match and accommodate at least one of the tempo, the intonation, the intonation pattern, the dialect, and the accent of the voice of the user.    
   
   
       20 . The system of  claim 19 , further comprising a communications synthesis system comprising: 
 a communications synthesis device of the user that receives the communication from the application server over a data network, and provides the communication to the user, and    a speech recognition process that receives a response from the user, converts the response into the instruction data, and provides the instruction data to the application server over the data network; and    wherein the interactive speech and multimodal services system further comprises a visual interface that utilizes an animation of the communication to interact with the user wherein the application server further monitors an animation of the user via a motion detection device and alters the animation of the communication to at least one of match and accommodate the animation of the user.    
   
   
       21 . The system of  claim 20 , further comprising: 
 a distributed speech recognition (DSR) processor embedded within the communications synthesis device, the DSR processor operative to: 
 receive user communication at the communications synthesis device;  
 generate parameterization data from the user communication; and  
 transmit the parameterization data to at least one of the voice services node and the multimodal engine;  
   whereby data transmitted to the voice services node representing the user communication is reduced; and    wherein the voice services node utilizes a DSR exchange function to translate the parameterization data into representative text which the voice services node can deliver to the application server.    
   
   
       22 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the user comprising multiple users, further comprising: 
 a caller bridge operative to bridge multiple calls from the multiple users together; and    a voice analysis application operative to: 
 detect a tempo, intonation, intonation pattern, dialect, and accent for each voice of the multiple users;  
 detect an animation for each of the multiple users; and  
 provide to the application server an identity of each of the multiple users providing an instruction whereby the application server may apply each instruction and tailor the communication from the speech and multimodal services system to each of the multiple users identified.